CVE-2026-32065: OpenClaw System.run Approval Identity Mismatch Could Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-hwpq-rrpf-pgcq
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CVSS 4.8
CWE-436 CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-32065 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.8) system.run approval identity mismatch could vulnerability (CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict) affecting OpenClaw libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves system.run approval identity mismatch could execute a different binary than displayed. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2026.2.25.

CVE-2026-32065 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-32065
GHSA Identifier GHSA-hwpq-rrpf-pgcq
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.8
CWE Classification CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict
Affected Product OpenClaw
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2026-32065

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected OpenClaw dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

openclaw fixed: 2026.2.25 
npm install openclaw@2026.2.25
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls openclaw

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2026-32065, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls openclaw

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of OpenClaw in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2026.2.25), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls openclaw command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict, where product a handles inputs or steps differently than product b, which causes a to perform incorrect actions based on its perception of b's state. In OpenClaw, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Summary `system.run` approvals in OpenClaw used rendered command text as the approval identity while trimming argv token whitespace. Runtime execution still used raw argv. A crafted trailing-space executable token could therefore execute a different binary than what the approver saw. ### Affected Packages / Versions - Package: `openclaw` (npm) - Affected versions: `<= 2026.2.24` - Patched versions: `>= 2026.2.25` ### Impact This is an approval-integrity bypass that can lead to unexpected command execution under the OpenClaw runtime user when an attacker can influence `command` argv and reuse/obtain a matching approval context. ### Trust Model Note OpenClaw does not treat adversarial multi-user sharing of one gateway host/config as a supported security boundary. This finding is still valid in supported deployments because it breaks the operator approval boundary itself (approved display command vs executed argv). ### Fix Commit(s) - `03e689fc89bbecbcd02876a95957ef1ad9caa176` ### Release Process Note `patched_versions` is pre-set to the release (`2026.2.25`). Advisory published with npm release `2026.2.25`. OpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.

CVE-2026-32065 Affected OpenClaw Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2026.2.25
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openclaw
npm/openclaw
npm
< 2026.2.25
2026.2.25

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-hwpq-rrpf-pgcq
NVD — CVE-2026-32065 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32065
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/03e689fc89bbecbcd02876a95957ef1ad9caa176
OpenClaw Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-approval-identity-mismatch-in-system-run-command-execution

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-32065?
CVE-2026-32065 is a security vulnerability in OpenClaw involving system.run approval identity mismatch could execute a different binary than displayed under CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict.
Which OpenClaw versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2026.2.25 across affected packages: openclaw.
What version fixes CVE-2026-32065?
Upgrading to 2026.2.25 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openclaw affected?
Yes, openclaw is affected in releases prior to 2026.2.25. Upgrade your dependency to 2026.2.25 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-32065?
CVE-2026-32065 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.8 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-32065?
CVE-2026-32065 is classified under CWE-436: Interpretation Conflict (Product A handles inputs or steps differently than Product B, which causes A to perform incorrect actions based on its perception of B's state.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-32065?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls openclaw'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-hwpq-rrpf-pgcq",
  "modified" : "2026-03-30T13:44:16Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-02T23:33:08Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-32065" ],
  "summary" : "OpenClaw: system.run approval identity mismatch could execute a different binary than displayed",
  "details" : "### Summary\n`system.run` approvals in OpenClaw used rendered command text as the approval identity while trimming argv token whitespace. Runtime execution still used raw argv. A crafted trailing-space executable token could therefore execute a different binary than what the approver saw.\n\n### Affected Packages / Versions\n- Package: `openclaw` (npm)\n- Affected versions: `<= 2026.2.24`\n- Patched versions: `>= 2026.2.25`\n\n### Impact\nThis is an approval-integrity bypass that can lead to unexpected command execution under the OpenClaw runtime user when an attacker can influence `command` argv and reuse/obtain a matching approval context.\n\n### Trust Model Note\nOpenClaw does not treat adversarial multi-user sharing of one gateway host/config as a supported security boundary. This finding is still valid in supported deployments because it breaks the operator approval boundary itself (approved display command vs executed argv).\n\n### Fix Commit(s)\n- `03e689fc89bbecbcd02876a95957ef1ad9caa176`\n\n### Release Process Note\n`patched_versions` is pre-set to the release (`2026.2.25`). Advisory published with npm release `2026.2.25`.\n\nOpenClaw thanks @tdjackey for reporting.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:A/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "openclaw"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2026.2.25"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2026.2.24"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-hwpq-rrpf-pgcq"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-32065"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/commit/03e689fc89bbecbcd02876a95957ef1ad9caa176"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/openclaw-approval-identity-mismatch-in-system-run-command-execution"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-436", "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-03-02T23:33:08Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}